Friday, June 24, 2011

What news from Finland, I hear you ask. It's been too quiet with the Clan.

It's Juhannusaatto - Midsummer's Eve. We'll it's a few days past actually, but I guess they like to have the weekend off for the big celebrations. The city has cleared out. Isa went into work today and said it was like a ghost-town.

There's big bonfires on the island of Seurasaari, but with the 3 Weans not fit: Bumptious ill with a cold, Mousie Magoo exhausted from being up too late at a sleepover that didn't happen and Foo just being his normal irritable self we've skipped the festivities. Will maybe go over tomorrow or over to Suomenlina just to have some fun.

Things with the Weans are all go though: Bumptious is still practicing walking. She can take several steps but doesn't trust her balance so sits down. She loves the walker at the leikkiepuisto (playpark) and will walk back and forth for hours, as long as I turn her around when she hits something. She now puts her Baba, a birthday doll from the boys, in the walker and happily toddlers along, occasionally stopping to pat it.

We're at the Leikkipuisto everyday now, here's a link to all the Helsinki leikkipuisto and family houses perhetalot where there are always fun things going on. All the local mums and kids hang out there now school is out. They provide basic hot lunches and arts and crafts everyday, and have tons of toys for the kids to play with. But now that it's midsummer most of the Finnish families will be heading off to their summer cottages, so it will be pretty quiet. From next week as Mousie Magoo finishes his nursery for a month I will have all 3 Weans at home. Give me strength.

He had his first sports day a couple of weeks ago and did really well. It wasn't competitive, but aimed at getting all the kids and parents involved.

It also coincided with the hottest weeks so far, so it ended with a water balloon fight just to cool everyone down. Didn't work with me though when Isä hit me with one.

Foo is still having a rough time. The improvement in his mood and behaviour we saw when he dropped his nap has slipped back a bit. He's happier when he's happier, but still has horrible tantrums for no discernible reason. We have an appointment with a Finnish speech therapist next week. Hoping for a confirmation that his speech is adenoid related so we can be referred to a specialist and get it seen to. Hopefully this will improve his speech, sleep and maybe even his balance.

His balance got very bad there around his birthday, but has improved so think that may have been the head cold he had. But it is still bad, he still falls all the time and struggles to do simple things without tripping. He was running across the sandpit today, back and forth for ages and every 3 steps he was on his face because he can't handle changes in height. But it doesn't stop him, he loves to run, jump and climb. Luckily he has a hard head. We're waiting for our referral to the physiotherapist to come through, but as our local hospital is a orthopedic specialty hospital and it's the beginning of the holiday season, I don't expect to hear now until August.

Foo's loving the nice weather though, easier to walk without a big snowsuit and boots and ice to contend with. And he loves his daily ice cream at the Leikkiepuisto and other places.

So we have a new house sorted and it looks like we're moving next month. The couple who own it are going to Kenya for more than half a year to adopt a 1 year old, so we're staying in their nice big house until they're back. It's right around the corner so we don't have to move the kids or our routine any. Just need to decide what we're doing with our stuff as the house is furnished. And we don't know what Finland and Isa's job hold for us after the beginning of next year, so we don't know whether to sell or store everything.

Can't think what else there is to update on. And just for the hell of it, some cute photos.

Tuesday, June 7, 2011

The time of birthdays has passed here in Finland with new friends, presents, burnt meat and sunshine.

We didn't realise when we organised the BBQ that it was graduation day across Finland, so only one Finnish friends showed up, so we had a nice international party with Scots, Australians, Italians, Belgians, Ghanians/Ghanans?. New friends from baby groups, work, Mousie's school, it was a nice mix. Shame about the Finns.

The kids got a outdoor playhouse which will hopefully get a lot of use before we move. Have a lead on a place to stay, but not saying more until we sort things out.

Uninterrupted expanses of blue sky, ice cream and fresh berries, they've filled the pool at the Leikkiepuisto and lilacs open their scent to the wind. It is Kesakuu - the Summer Moon.